Farley: ‘I’m going to run harder than I ever have in my life.’

This post should lead off with Schenectady County Democratic Chairwoman Susan Savage’s announcement outside Proctors this afternoon that she’s running for state Senate. But we were interested to hear what state Sen. Hugh Farley had to say about the challenge, since this would be his 18th term in office.

Savage

Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton, who attended Savage’s announcement with about 200 others, was asked what it would take for Savage to beat such a long-time incumbent. After all, he threw about $750,000 at the Republican in 2000, and couldn’t summon more than about 43 percent of the vote. “It’s going to come down to how much energy he has,” said Stratton about the 78-year-old Farley.

On a cell phone call later in the afternoon, Farley appeared as committed as ever. “I’m going to run harder than I ever have in my life,” he said. “I think it’s so important that we take back the Senate for the balance for the state. I don’t think it’s good government for one party to be in charge of every single facet.”

Farley

Like so many other campaigns this season, Savage is running on behalf of the anti-incumbency movement. “What people are looking for are people who do things that are tremendous,” said Savage, who first won her county leg seat in 1998. “We can’t have a Senate full of people who are just seating in the seat.”

When told about Savage’s response, Farley said, “well, that wasn’t very nice.” He also got heated about Savage taking credit for having a hand in the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority – the revitalization tool that almost every participating politician has tied their hat to at one time or another. “I wrote every word of it,” Farley said about the legislation that allowed the county to charge part of its sales tax to the redevelopment effort. ” I’m not someone who likes to blow my own horn but I work hard at my job.”

26 Responses

Where and when will Senator Farley do his campaign kick-off? Any idea where he was on that cell phone call? I’ve heard he spends lots of time way outside of his district. Maybe the TU can look into that. It seems like 17 terms, or 34 years, is long enough. New blood is definitely needed in the Senate. Time to send a hard working mom in there to help clean up the mess.

The facts are pretty simple. For the first five years of Metroplex, the economy in Schenectady County continued to lag. Jobs continued to leave. The downtown became even emptier.

In 2004, when Susan Savage became the chair of the Legislature in Schenectady County, she recruited Ray Gillen to turn around Metroplex and she unified economic development which was scattered and confused. Since then Schenectady County has had 3,500 new private sector jobs created. GE has brought back jobs, the industrial parks are booming, and the downtown has turned around.

Jan Smith, former spokeswoman for GE Energy, credited the changed environment with GE’s decision to locate new high paying renewable energy jobs in Schenectady County.

Thats what Susan Savage brings. She is an agent of change who has a track record.

Hugh Farley is an empty suit and has been for the last 20 years. he followed every order Joe Bruno ever gave. He’s a lockstep republican and has 0.0 imagination. He’s another member of the party of no and not fit to be my senator. Susan Savage is a breath of fresh air that has earned her stripes on the county board. She knows what we need and is willing to fight for it. The door is open for Susan Savage. So long Hugh.

Carl’s entirely predictable lockstep Republican robotics nothwithstanding, Hugh Farley is the personification of exactly what is wrong with Albany. Here is a golden opportunity for all you malcontests who have carped and griped for months about the culture of corruption and the–literal—”old boy network” to put your anti-incumbent fervor to good and practical use. Do the right thing. Bring a breath of fresh air to Schenectady and the State Senate.

FactCheck – Ever been to RIP? That industrial park has not been the same since 2001/2002. So you’re wrong.

What jobs has SHE created? I know, not one because politicians do not create jobs.

GE got state and federal money for that plant so you are wrong there too. Savage wasn’t even mentioned.

The downtown is a bit better. I recently went to the Movieland thaetre and it was empty. A nice place to see a movie and I recommend anyone to go check it out but the downtown is not there yet. But yes, much better.

Is Cornell’s still in business? That was a Metroplex gem.

She is a joke of a claim-all-do-crap politician who now wants her turn at the cadaver’s pension. Farley is a clown who like McEneny and Breslin needs to be declared dead. But she cannot be the replacement.

Track record? Here is a list (#2) of stuff I asked her to look into. To this day she has done nothing!

Here is another list:
-Is the other side of Central Park still Little Beirut?
-Are taxes outrageous in Schenectady?
-Hows that new Walmart in Rotterdam?
-Is Glenville still looking to secede into Saratoga County?

FactCheck – Ever been to RIP? That industrial park has not been the same since 2001/2002. So you’re wrong.

What jobs has SHE created? I know, not one because politicians do not create jobs.

GE got state and federal money for that plant so you are wrong there too. Savage wasn’t even mentioned.

The downtown is better. I recently went to the Movieland theatre and it was empty. A nice place to see a movie and I recommend anyone to go check it out but the downtown is not there yet. But yes, much better.

Is Cornell’s still in business? That was a Metroplex gem.

She is a joke of a claim-all-do-crap politician who now wants her turn at the cadaver’s pension. Farley is a clown who like McEneny and Breslin needs to be declared dead. But she cannot be the replacement.

Track record? Here is a list (#2) of stuff I asked her to look into. To this day she has done nothing!

Here is another list:
-Is the other side of Central Park still Little Beirut?
-Are taxes outrageous in Schenectady?
-Hows that new Walmart in Rotterdam?
-Is Glenville still looking to secede into Saratoga County?

The Senate needs more upstate members who are in touch with the current realities of what it takes to earn a living and raise a family. Those who retired from the full-time workforce long ago and now spend as much time in their Florida homes or at their summer cabins as they do in their districts shouldn’t have to worry about showing up in Albany for session anymore either. Senator Farley deserves to enjoy retirement on a full-time basis in 2011.

Teaparty 2, if you are really with the teaparty movement that I’m with, then I am afraid for us. The stupidity of dumping someone because they have been in for a long time is rediculous. Farley has not had a hint of scandal or personal benefit. Ask Savage about being an unindicted co-conspirator. She is a tax and spend progressive who wants government in your wallet, your food choices and anything that she can think of. Having worked with her, her last name fits her to a tee. She is by far the nastiest person you could possibly meet in the general public. She will stab you behind the back, ask Chris Cioffi. She will claim anything as her doing, if she could get rid of the Bible she would claim everything as her doing. She is a disgrace and will only add to the strength of the neophytes running the Senate and Sheldon Silver. Think before you vote out someone just because they have been there long!

In this electoral season, Farley is doomed. Vote all incumbants out, isn’t that what I keep hearing from self=described Tea Party members? Yep, vote ‘em all out, unless they’re republicans. So much for the myth of Tea Part non-patisaniship, at least we now know where you guys sit, right in the lap of the GOP.

DOWNTOWN SCHENECTADY HAS MADE A TURN AROUND BECAUSE OF THE INFLUX OF GUYANESE MOVING IN TO THE CITY OF SCHENECTADY SO THE CITY’S TAX ROLL CAN BECOME FAT AGAIN. THE GUYANESE HAS BROUGHT BACK NEW LIFE TO SCHENECTADY SO DON’T LISTEN TO ALL OF THIS POLITICAL CRAP. YET THE GUYANESE ARE DISRESPECTED BY THE CITY AND FEW RESIDENTS. THE GUYANESE HAS ACHIVED ALOT IN SCHENECTADY IF IT WASN’T FOR THE GUYANESE SCHENECTADY WOULD BE A DUMP MANY GUYANESE HAS BOUGHT AND INVESTED ALOT OF MONEY IN THE CITY OF SCHENECTADY SO THAT SCHENECTADY METROPLEX CAN HAVE MONEY TO BUILD ALL OF THESE PROJECTS IN THE DOWNTOWN. MUCH RESPECT TO THE GUYANESE COMMUNITY IN SCHENECTADY 10,000 STRONG AND GROWING WATCH OUT WE MIGHT EVEN TAKE OVER CITY HALL SOMEDAY!